Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-12-01
KrLLRD Ar H1s own FrREs1DE,
A Murderous Shot Brings Down a
Fruit Gardener While He Sits Talk
VVRfEa ETTm

A MurderOus Shot Brings Down a
Fruit Gardener While He Sits Talk
ing With His Family.
GREENFIELD, Mass, Nov. 30.-David Ran
dali of Turner's Falls, gardener, proprietor
of fruit farm, was shot and killed last night
while sitting by a window in his house by
some one unknown. The gun from which
| the shot was fred was an old smooth-bore
| Springfield rife, which young son of Ran
dali had loaded heavily with BIB. shot on
Thanksgiving morning, the rifle afterward
| being place in the woodshed where it was
stolen the next day. The victim was show
ing the occupants of the room some eggs he
had bought, when suddenly a stunning ex-
plosion occurred and part of the lamp shade
fell. The victim after the explosion still sat
in his chair, his cane cIasped in his hands,
resting between his knees, but his head was
bent forward on his breast and when friends
reached his side he was dead. The scene OF
the tragedy was to-day visited by crowds OF
people from the surrounding country and
large delegations of newspaper men.
Randall's family consists of wife, young
daughter and a son, Lincoln, of seventeen.
The police are not satisfied with the boys
story about the gun. He has the reputation
of being rather tough and the officers say
sions threatened his father with bodily
harm. Other neighbors say, however, that
the son and father apparently thought the
world of one another and scout the theory
that the son did the deed or had any knowl-
edge of it. The boy says he left the house
to go to Montague City to visit some
other boys. He states with the
greatest precision the very second he
reached there and the exact hour
he left. His story is almost too exact for
belief, and this suspicion is shared by the
State detective who now has the case in hand.
Without doubt the man was killed by double
B shot. The boy was missing when the
murder occurred. The victim had no known
enemies Another theory is that the deed
was done by outside parties. Evidence has
been found where horse was hitched about
six hundred rods from the scene of the trag-
edy in the woods. Two men were seen about
$50 o'clock last night coming through the
Catholic cemetery directly back of this place
about the time of the murder. They
were noticed to get in this team and
drive hastily away. 1t has been sug-
gested that these may have been Wood
ward and Thompson, two desperate young
whose escapades in burglary and pistol prac-
tice have terrorized the whole section. Even
here the total lack of motive is met. The
most likely theory, however, is that Ran
dall's son killed his father. The gun was
found at noon by the side of the road and
some one hundred yards from the scene of the
shooting and Lincoln, the son, was arrested
shortly after noon on warrant for murder
issued against him. He takes his arrest
coolly.
There are suspicious that some medicine the
old man was taking has been tempered with,
as the victim of the murder complained of u
burning sensation when taking it, which the
doctor who prescribed it says could not have
been caused by the medicine itself. He SUBJ
stituted another bottle of the same drug and
this had no such effect The medicine that
caused the trouble will be analysed. There
was 1000 insurance on Mr.. Randall's
life and there are whispers to the effect
that probability of willing this to his sister
may have prompted the commission of the
deed.
State Detective Munyan reached Green
field this afternoon from Turner's Falls
with Lincoln Randall, the alleged murderer
of his father. Slowly the links of the chain
case and points to the son as the murderer are
being Joined. A strong theory exists that
Randall was being slowly poisoned and Med
ical Examiner Coy will tomorrow after
noon hold his autopsy and the stomach will
be sent to some chemist for analysis. There
family had ever quarreled over money and
domestic affairs. Neither is there any actual |
evidence that he had threatened to
will his life insurance to any rel- |
atives outside as some hint. This
insurance of $4,000 was made up of
50, 900 in the Legion of Honor and s., 900 in |
the United Friends and was payable to his |
wife. The boy has been regarded as a |
hoodlum of the wild West sort, but no one
thought him specially vicious. Everything
about this crime points to most deliberate
and premeditated murder, even to the resting
OF the gun within few feet of the old mans |
head when the charge was fred. Whether
the evidence in its present state will be |
strong enough to convict young Randall is
not positive. Randall will be arraigned on
Friday.